Episode 4 – Plato

Plato points to the sky in this famous painting alluding to his rationalist philosophy.

In this week’s episode, we learn about Plato’s “Symposium”, which you might think of as philosophy’s version of fan fiction. We also learn about Plato’s “Theory of Forms” and ask ourselves what makes a tree, well, a tree. This leads to discussion of Plato’s famous “Allegory of the Cave” and calls into question whether everything we see is merely a shadow of its true self. Finally, we learn about Plato’s views on society and government and why he thought democracy was one of the worst forms of government, second only to tyranny.

Philosophize This! Have you ever had an experience that changed your perception of something so that you felt you were seeing it as it actually is for the first time? Answer in the comments section below.

Make sure to download Philosophize This! on iTunes for the full story of Plato and his role in western philosophy.